Jagat

Gauracandra, if you do order stuff from Vyaasa Houston, let us know whether you find it useful. Jagat

Gauracandra, if you do order stuff from Vyaasa Houston, let us know whether you find it useful. Jagat

Try the following: American Sanskrit Institute 73 Four Corners Road, Warwick, N.Y., 10990 1-800-484-7112 (1008) 914-986-8652 914-978-7097 (Fax) They have cassettes, etc. I just found that they have a web page. http://www.americansanskrit.com/ [This message has been edited by Jagat (edited 06-16-2001).]

Try the following: American Sanskrit Institute 73 Four Corners Road, Warwick, N.Y., 10990 1-800-484-7112 (1008) 914-986-8652 914-978-7097 (Fax) They have cassettes, etc. I just found that they have a web page. http://www.americansanskrit.com/ [This message has been edited by Jagat (edited 06-16-2001).]

I rather agree with this. "Typical Tantric deity". What is a typical tantric deity? And how is Mahaprabhu fit anything in that category? I don't think there is any evidence anywhere of an "avatar" being identified as a Tantric deity, especially not a male. Another point is that the Hindu tradition is so mixed up with Vedic and Tantric elements that there is almost no real meaning to the word Tantric except to describe the five practices that are so detested by the orthodox. Thus the word itself has a misleading aspect to it. Speculation about male and female elements in creation is very old and can be found in the Upanishads, Sankhya, Yoga, Buddhism, Taoism, Alchemy, Sufism, etc. In short, almost every mystic tradition has some kind of speculation based on sexuality. Jagat

This is a court thing that has nothing to do with W.

This discussion of "being true to one's lineage" is interesting to me. One of the big, major points about the Gaudiya Math is that they are NOT true to THEIR lineage. Bhaktivinoda THakur took initiation from Bipin Bihari Goswami. Now, as far as I can tell, BVT never rejected BBG. Yet the Gaudiya Math proudly tells us that he "abandoned" BBG to take siksha from Jagannath Das Babaji. In view of this, if an individual, say Premanandaji, were to continue his search after taking initiation to find a mood in bhajan that suited him more personally, can members of the Gaudiya Math criticize him for that, in view of what they claim in Bhaktivinoda Thakur's personal history? The traditional Vaishnava position is that taking siksha does not cancel one's initiation. And one's initiation does not preclude one's taking siksha from elevated Vaishnavas. I think that in the case of Premanandaji, he has remained true to the basic principle of Gaudiya Vaishnavism -- to Mahaprabhu and Radha Krishna. If he seeks further understanding within these parameters, he can hardly be said to have abandoned his gurus, diksha or siksha. Gadadhar Pran has a strong feeling for Gauranga Nagara bhava. No one can deny this. It is a mood that very few people share. Vrindavan Das did not care much for it, as is clear from his statements in the Chaitanya Bhagavata. Nevertheless, it has a real historical basis in many of Mahaprabhu's associates, including Vasu Ghosh, Narahari Thakur, Murari Gupta, etc. A blanket condemnation of Gaura Nagara bhava does not do justice to this historical truth. In fact, Gadadhar Pran took inspiration from Bhaktivinoda Thakur's devotion to Gadai-Gauranga to enter his particular mood. One more word about Gadadhar Pranji. I have know him for 25 years and we were once close friends. Our relationship has been rocky at times, as we have not always approved of each other's choices in life and our personalities have not always been a perfect fit. But I would like to say this: Gadadhar is an artist and he has the clearest vision of his personal raganuga sadhana of any person I have ever met. Gadadhar is idiosyncratic. There are few who will ever appreciate what he is or what he does and has done. Call him crazy or whatever, but he is an extraordinary individual who has committed his life to Gaura Gadadhar like no one else I know. If you don't find what he does to your taste, then pay him obeisances from a distance. Your servant, Jagadananda Das

Just a brief comment about how "only RRC Das Babaji's disciples don't." This is not true. Through admittedly, the chanting of Hare Krishna in kirtan has increased greatly in the last 150 years, prior to that, it was hardly seen at all. When in India, I did some informal investigation of this. I found that in places far from the urban centres, kirtan festivals with other names, like "Radhe Govinda, Jay Sri Radhe Govinda", etc., were the rule rather than the exception. I also inquired from many professional kirtaniyas, who chanted Hare Krishna in Nama Yajnas. They often told me that their village chanted a particular "nama." In places like Srikhanda and other Sripatas, where the traditions are very solid, their festivals have <u>no</u> chanting of Hare Krishna. They usually sing various bhajans and something like "Narahari priya Gaura Haribol" as a refrain. What Radha Raman Charan Dasji did was to create a formulaic bhajan that combined several elements -- "Nitai Gaura" was and is, obviously, a popular kirtan in Bengal. "Radhe Shyam" is another. These are prefaced by the word "bhaja" meaning loud kirtan. The juxtaposition of these really has no implications for siddhanta other than that these are objects of worship. I doubt that there is anyone who would deny that. The partial "Hare Krishna Hare Rama" part is not to be considered "offensive" as some people claim. One can chant any names of Krishna; there is no need to limit the chanting to the Maha Mantra. To place this limit on the Holy Name is arguably a more serious offense. At any rate, I am not arguing against the loud chanting of the Maha Mantra in kirtan. I am merely observing that it is a relatively recent phenomenon in Bengal. Ys. Jagat

<h3>Wanted: Lovely woman to join us in marriage</h3> If polygamy is illegal, why do its advocates operate Web sites with impunity? Nate Hendley National Post "I am 50 years old, blond hair, blue eyes, six feet tall, and weigh 200 pounds. I work as a business consultant. My wives are 33 and 22 years old and they both help me in our business. We don't drink, smoke or take drugs. We don't object to social drinking now and then. However, we do object to smoking. "We are seeking a Christian lady with a kind spirit who has a positive attitude towards the Lord, their own life and towards others." The above is an ad from a trio of evangelical Christians named Adolph, Mary and Megan in the "Family web-pages" section of www.polygamy.com. The site is dedicated to the premise that polygamy benefits all involved. Government authorities tend to think otherwise; plural marriage is against the law in North America. Last month, Tom Green, a Mormon polygamist from Utah, was convicted of bigamy. Green, who has five wives and more than two dozen kids, was notoriously outspoken about his marriage arrangements. So are most online polygamy organizations, although the latter have largely escaped prosecution. Which may be why the creators of polygamy.com and its sister site, polygamy.net, would prefer to keep a low profile. An interview request was forwarded to the sites' spokesman, a cheerful young man named Mark Henkel. Henkel works as a Web consultant and pastor of an "independent home church" in Old Orchard Beach, Me. He also runs an organization called Truthbearer, (www.truthbearer.com) which advocates the legalization of plural marriage. Polygamy.com was set up in 1999 by "a solid Christian" gentleman who lives "out West" and is adverse to publicity, explains Henkel, adding that polygamy.com is "meant to be generic," while polygamy.net is "meant to be Christian." The first site contains a collection of essays with titles such as "Polygamy: the Ultimate Feminist Lifestyle" and a profile of a "Vietnamese polygamy king." The site's personals page contains notices from Christians, Muslims, Taoist/Pagans and Jews. The polygamy.net site, on the other hand, focuses primarily on "Christian polygamy," a theology supposedly based on the Bible. Like Mormon polygamy (which stems from the notion that Mormon men should marry and procreate as often as possible), Christian polygamy is male-centred, the ideal being one husband and many wives. Although willing to discuss the theoretical underpinnings of polygamy, Henkel hesitates when asked about his own marital background. "That's a question that really can't be answered at this time, because of the chill factor raised by the Tom Green case," he states. The people at 3Coins.com, an online dating service for polygamists, are considerably more forthcoming on such matters. 3Coins is run by Michael Shone Sr. and his two wives, Olea and Kathy. The three live in Orick, a small town in northern California. The 3Coins site offers some 300 personal ads from polygamist wannabes. About a third of these are accompanied by photographs. Shone estimates that 60 to 70% of people who post ads are Christians. The remainder belong to other faiths or consist of "folks who don't believe in anything." You have to be 18 to use the personals at 3Coins, and the Web masters won't post nude shots or suggestive copy. "I've got a folder full of stuff that didn't get on the site," laughs Shone. He estimates that 3Coins has helped spark 50 "relationships" since its launch three years ago. He's pleased with this statistic, because the purpose of the site is to promote marriage, not one-night stands. Shone doesn't charge for the ads on his site; he earns a living doing commercial art for banks and offices. Both his wives work -- Olea in a county courthouse, Kathy in a local school library. While they proselytize for the same cause, Shone and Henkel have sharply differing views on the Green trial. Henkel describes Green as a "self-seeker who thought he was helping the cause and destroyed it instead." Among other sins, says Henkel, Green supported his family by means of welfare, married his 13-year-old stepdaughter and paraded his kin "on trash TV shows. "This is not what we're about," he fumes. Shone takes a more nuanced stance. He says Tom Green is "really a family man" who has done a "great job" raising so many kids. Still, Shone doesn't condone child brides or incest: "I know where I come from, we don't marry 13-year-old girls." Despite these differences, Henkel and Shone have much in common. Henkel serves as the spiritual advisor for Shone's 3Coins.com. Both men are devout Protestants who believe polygamy offers a supportive lifestyle for women. Shone claims to be a "male feminist, so to speak" and that "3Coins.com allows females to take the lead in initiating plural relationships." Henkel agrees: "Polygamy would be a better solution for all the abandoned single moms out there rather than the trap of welfare or having to work all day to pay for daycare." Unlike Green, neither Henkel nor Shone has had any serious run-ins with the law. Which isn't a surprise, considering police rarely enforce statutes prohibiting multiple spouses. Green was the first polygamist put on trial in Utah in half a century. He is one of an estimated 30,000 polygamists living in a state that banned plural marriage more than a century ago. Such numbers and the relative impunity with which online polygamy groups operate cause outrage among critics of the lifestyle. "We encourage freedom of speech and educating the public, but anyone soliciting themselves or wives for multiple matrimony could face legal consequences," says Vicky Prunty, executive director of Tapestry Against Polygamy (www.polygamy.org), a Utah-based organization that opposes plural marriage. In the past, polygamy was more isolated, says Prunty. By contrast, Henkel and Shone are working hard to make polygamy seem mainstream, even mundane. "It's just a regular marriage," says Shone of his marital threesome. "There's nothing different." That isn't quite true, however, as even Shone admits. "It's neat on the anniversaries," he says. "Olea helps me get ready for Kathy's anniversary, and Kathy helps me get it together for Olea. We have some humdinger anniversaries."

The reason that the King of Nepal has special privilege in the Jagannath temple. I don't really know the reason, but some people say that the Nabhi Brahma that is in Jagannath's belly is a Shalagram Shila that was given by a King of Nepal many years ago. I haven't been able to find any historical verification of that.

Why should it depress me? I think it's good. Hopefully those who have other kinds of spirituality besides fundamentalist Christians will take advantage of the opportunity.

Actually, Vaishnavas say pretty much the same thing, don't they? At least there are verses in the shastras on both ends of the spectrum -- from very liberal to conservative. The question is similar to the "What is a Vaishnava?"

I am in general against the death penalty, but in Timothy McVeigh's case, I find it rather difficult to maintain consistency. But then some say that absolute consistency is foolishness. One thing is that the state and the individual cannot necessarily operate by the same rules. Nityananda was responding individually to an act of agression. He was not an officially designated representative of the state. The state has to operate in ways that are sometimes repressive for the greater good of the collectivity. A balance has to be found between the police state and anarchy. This does not mean that the death penalty is a good idea as a tool of state enforcement. In general, strangely enough, despite their promotion in principle of individual freedoms, the American people are more accepting of state repression than most other societies. They incarcerate petty criminals at a rate unequalled anywhere in the world, and I could go on. Now, as to the argument presented above that Nityananda was God and so his way of doing things cannot be used as a practical example: This is a dangerous and incorrect argument. Nityananda was God in human form, therefore his example is most definitely meant to be followed. Jagat [This message has been edited by Jagat (edited 06-12-2001).]

While France is going one way, the U.S. is going another. Of course, if it were the Hare Krishnas running the club, the courts might have been more reluctant to rule the way they did.<hr> <h3>U.S. church club allowed in school</h3> ANNE GEARAN Associated Press Tuesday, June 12, 2001 WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a church-state battle yesterday that religious groups must be allowed to meet in public schools after class hours. In a 6-3 decision that lowered the figurative wall of separation between church and state, the justices said a New York public-school district must let an evangelical Protestant youth group hold after-school meetings for children to pray and study the Bible. Justice Stephen Breyer, usually a moderate-to-liberal vote on the court, joined the five most conservative members -- Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Sandra Day O'Connor, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas -- in partial support of the religious club's request. Justices John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter dissented. The majority found that excluding the Good News Club from using the school was unconstitutional discrimination based on the club's views. Letting the meeting take place would not be an unconstitutional government endorsement of religion, the court ruled. The U.S. Constitution protects free speech and the free exercise of religion, but it also bars government establishment of religion. The Milford School District in upstate New York had argued that allowing the Good News Club to hold what school officials called "the equivalent of religious worship" at the school would amount to a school endorsement of Christianity over other religions. The club said the school was discriminating against it because of its views. The club's members range in age from 5 to 12, and its meetings include Bible stories, prayers and teaching children to "give God first place in your life." The group has met at a local church since the school denied its 1996 request to use the school building after 3 p.m. on school days. The Supreme Court has long wrangled over the question of religion in the public schools. The justices banned organized prayer during class hours in the early 1960s, and in the past decade banned clergy-led prayer at high-school graduation ceremonies and student-led prayer at high-school football games. But the court also ruled in 1993 that a New York public school must let a religious group use its building to show Christian movies during evening hours. Also yesterday, the top court upheld a law that makes U.S. citizenship harder to obtain for children born abroad out of wedlock to American fathers than to American mothers. Federal immigration law automatically gives citizenship to such children if the mother is an American who has lived in the country for at least a year. But if the father is American, the child can be considered a U.S. citizen only if the father legalizes the relationship through a court order or sworn statement by the time the child turns 18, and if the father agrees in writing to support the child until adulthood. The law was challenged in Texas by a man born in Vietnam to an American father and Vietnamese mother. The Texas father, Joseph Boulais, and his son, Tuan Ahn Nguyen, argued the law amounted to "sex-based stereotyping" and unlawful discrimination. Government lawyers said Congress has broad authority to decide who merits U.S. citizenship. The top court ruled narrowly that setting such separate standards does not violate the equal-protection clause of the Constitution, given a mother's natural role in childbirth.

Back on topic<hr> <h3>Cult crackdown called extreme</h3> Scientology tops hit list in France as new legislation against religious sects inches closer MICHAEL VALPY With reports from Agence France-Presse and The Guardian Tuesday, June 12, 2001 France is moving forward with Europe's severest legislation against minority religious groups, igniting fears among civil-liberties organizations that it could invite similar measures by other governments. Ignoring criticism from mainstream church leaders and foreign governments, especially Washington, France's National Assembly has passed a law "to reinforce the prevention and repression of groups of a sect-like character." The French bill is awaiting final passage by the Senate, which is expected some time in the fall. "This law makes the practice of one's religion into a criminal offence," said Joseph Grieboski, president of the Washington-based Institute on Religion and Public Policy. The legislation contains two controversial parts. First, it creates a new category of crime, carrying a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment, for abuse of a person "in a state of psychological or physical dependence caused by the exertion of heavy or repeated pressure or techniques liable to alter his judgment." Second, it enables courts to order that officially designated cults be dissolved if two leading members are convicted of crimes such as fraud and child abuse. Critics of the legislation say its language is too vague, leaving such terms as "sect,dependence" and "pressure" undefined. The respected French daily Le Figaro pointed out that the lifestyle of a Carmelite nun could fall afoul of the legislation. Others have said the law's vague language might describe some commercial marketing techniques. There is also concern that France's attitude may be spreading. Belgium, Germany, Austria and several Eastern European countries have also officially identified "sects," many of them American, for close monitoring. Newspapers in Hong Kong have reported that the territorial government is planning similar legislation to control the Falun Gong movement, which is outlawed as an "evil cult" in the rest of China but is still legal in Hong Kong. "Lawmakers and administrators in such countries use anticult initiatives of the minority [of] Western European states . . . as justification for even harsher measures that have adverse impacts on a wide range of smaller but legitimate religious groups," Professor W. Cole Durham, director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at Utah's Brigham Young University, said at a U.S. Senate committee hearing last month. But French parliamentarian Catherine Picard, co-author of the bill, said critics have misunderstood the legislation and its objectives. "We don't care about religion, that's not our problem," she said. "You can worship an orange in your kitchen as long as you don't disturb public order, as long as you don't force people and act in illegal ways." According to a recent French poll, 73 per cent of respondents believe cults are a danger to democracy and 86 per cent would ban organizations such as the Los Angeles-based Church of Scientology, to which the French government has been paying close attention for 10 years. "Right off the bat, I think they'll nail Scientology," said Rev. Louis DeMeo, a U.S.-born Baptist pastor who has lived in France for 20 years. But Scientology is hardly alone in France's bad books. The French Interministerial Mission to Battle Against Sects has drawn up a list of 172 officially designated sects with 400,000 adherents. These groups are having difficulties elsewhere, too. In fact, the word evangelical -- a Christian term for preaching the Gospel (or good news) of Jesus Christ -- has come to be nearly synonymous with religious proselytizing. In Germany, the Scientologists have been called a totalitarian group. Scientologists, seeking to counter this label and the baggage it carries in Germany, have likened themselves to the persecuted Jews of the Second World War. In Belgium, a list of designated cults includes groups that most North Americans consider to be relatively benign, such as the Amish, the Seventh-Day Adventists, the Assemblies of God and the Jehovah's Witnesses. "There is a very strong anti-religious bias that has emerged in Europe. "If you are an evangelical, you're a nut," Christopher Smith, a U.S. congressman who chairs the human-rights-monitoring Helsinki Commission, told the Washington Times recently. Religious scholars and representatives of international religious bodies say Europeans have reacted with horror to cult-related tragedies around the world, such the recent sect suicide in Uganda, which claimed more than 900 lives.

<h3>Canadian politics interlude...</h3> You astonish me, Valaya, with this racist post. You are quite welcome in Quebec, let me assure you -- but on the terms of the majority population. Learn to speak French. It is the language of one of two founding peoples in Canada. If you were brought up in Montreal, how come you don't speak French? What does that show about British attitudes to the majority population? It is the attitude of a colonizing people towards the colonized. It reminds me of what is going on in Zimbabwe nowadays (see yesterday's Globe). As far as Jean Chrétien's being French and voting himself a pay raise, this is another bit of racism. What do the two have to do with each other? Chrétien is the prime minister because he is one smart politician and the people from Ontario voted him in. French Quebecers consistently detest the guy and vote against him in droves. Maybe it's because he's in Ontario's pocket. Anyway, for someone who shows generally open attitudes, you disappoint me for the shallowness of your critique of Canada's "Quebec problem." Jagat Jagat

<h3>It's time to quit, doctor tells middle-aged pot users</h3> DANIEL LEBLANC With a report from Reuters Tuesday, June 12, 2001 OTTAWA -- Middle-aged pot users face a fivefold increase in the risk of a heart attack in the hour after they smoke the drug, which makes it slightly riskier for baby boomers than strenuous exercise such as sex, a new study says. "The risk with marijuana use was a little higher than what was observed for sexual intercourse," said Dr. Murray Mittleman, director of cardiovascular epidemiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Dr. Mittleman said his study comes at a critical time, because "marijuana use in the age group prone to coronary artery disease is higher than it was in the past." The risk of a heart attack starts increasing in men at about age 45, and a few years later in women. "As with any risk factor for heart attack, or for heart disease in general, the risks become more pertinent as we grow older. Marijuana use is no exception," Dr. Mittleman said. A Canadian expert on the medical hazards of marijuana said the study sent a simple message to middle-aged drug users: "It's probably a good time to quit," said Dr. Harold Kalant, professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. Dr. Kalant said that young people's hearts are simply stronger and can better withstand the impacts of drug-induced euphoria. "The cardiac workload is increased. For young people, that doesn't mean anything, they can easily adapt. But for older people, the increased workload on the heart will be a risk factor for a heart attack," he said. Dr. Kalant added that most marijuana smokers quit before they reach their 40s anyway. "As they get on with their careers, I think, they don't like the memory problems, the fuzzy-headedness and so on." Smoking marijuana causes the heart rate to increase -- often doubling it -- while altering blood pressure, according to the study. It may also trigger a heart attack by causing the formation of a clot, blocking the flow of blood to the heart muscle. The researchers said that smoking marijuana can also increase the heart's demand for oxygen, while at the same time decreasing oxygen. Dr. Mittleman added that cocaine use is much riskier, causing about a 25-fold increased risk of a heart attack during the first hour. During their investigation, researchers found a few people who engaged in both sexual intercourse and marijuana use just before their heart attack, but not enough to scientifically determine whether the combination of the two further increased the health risk. The study appeared in the journal Circulation, published by the American Heart Association. It is based on interviews with almost 4,000 people who had heart attacks, including 124 marijuana smokers. During the study, researchers found nine patients who reported smoking marijuana within one hour of the onset of heart attack symptoms. Researchers calculated the estimated risk by comparing the frequency of marijuana use before heart attack symptoms began, to the frequency of marijuana use over the previous year. The study came just as the Senate continued its hearings into illegal drugs in Ottawa, and most notably on whether marijuana laws should be loosened. Dr. Kalant warned the committee members that a liberalization of marijuana possession laws would lead "to an increase in use and in adverse affects." Dr. John Morgan, a professor of pharmacology at the City University of New York Medical School, countered that experience shows that looser drug laws do not lead to an increase in drug use.

I posted this once before on VNN. No reason not to put it on again -- <hr> <center><font color=#ff0066>bAhire se AlA bholA antare hRdaya galA mukhe sadA kRSNa bolA cokhe azru mAlA dInatAya se mATir mAnuS niSThAte acalA kRSNa dite kRSNa nite dhare zakti sob alaukika lokavat gauDIya vaiSNob</font> He looks artless, guileless but inside his heart is melting; the name of Krishna is always on his tongue a garland of tears in his eyes. In humility though forebearing, his faith unswerving as a mountain. To give or take Krishna, is the power in his hands. He looks like anyone, but he is beyond the world. That is a Gaudiya Vaishnava. <font color=#ff0066>sabAra nIce paRe thAke sabAike se sevya dekhe sabAra iSTa miSTa bhAkhe kRSNa tattva jñAne sabAi debA sabAr sevA kRSNa adhiSThAne nikhila bheda samanvayera mUrti savaibhava tomAra preme goRA se gauDIya vaiSNava</font> He humbly takes the lowest place, sees everyone as someone to serve; to all he speaks what is pleasing and sweet, connected to the truth of Krishna; he knows that Krishna dwells in every soul and so he gives to all and serves all. All differences are resolved in him, this is the glory he incarnates. Formed through and through by Your love-- that is a Gaudiya Vaishnava. <font color=#ff0066>sarvottama sadainya vinaya nirahaM suzAnti nilaya nitAi graha grasta hRdaya sadaya vizva jIve tomAra icchAya cale bale tomAra icchAya seve tomAra gaNa sange se pAya prema rasArNava tomAra sRSTa hRSTa iSTa gauDIya vaiSNava</font> He is the best of all, yet he makes no claims. He is without ego, the house of blissful peace. He is under the astral influence of Nitai, and so merciful to all souls in the universe. He walks and talks according to Your desire, according to Your desire, he serves. When in the company of those who are Yours, he finds an ocean of relish. Your personal creation, Your own ecstatic object of worship -- that is a Gaudiya Vaishnava. <font color=#ff0066>kaivalyake narka mAne svargake khapuSpa jAne indriya kRSNa sevane vizva-pUrNa sukhe daivatAdi nAhi gaNe tomAra kRponmukhe tomAra-i audArya vIrya AtmA akaitava tomAra kRpA mUrtimanta gauDIya vaiSNava</font> He takes nondualistic liberation to be hell and heaven to be a flower in the sky; his senses are all engaged in Krishna's service and so he sees the world as a place of joy; he pays no attention to other gods, turned only toward the search for Your mercy; He is filled with the heroism of Your munificence; his heart is without deception; the incarnation of Your blessings -- that is the Gaudiya Vaishnava. <font color=#ff0066>saMsAre se anAsakta bAhya dehe sAdhaka bhakta antare se anurakta rAgAnugA lobhe gaurotsave vrajera bhAve sadA iSTa seve keza-zeSa-sudurlabha gopIra anubhava acintya prabhAvI se gauDIya vaiSNava</font> Though detached from the world; externally, he carries on like a sadhaka bhakta; yet within he seethes with rAgAnugA greed. Festive in the mood of Gauranga he always serves the object of his love: the mood of the gopis, so rare for even Brahma, Vishnu and Ananta. Of incomprehensible divine power, that is the Gaudiya Vaishnava.

That being said, I totally agree with you. On VNN, it was getting really bad, because anyone who started a thread could delete the entire thread. The moderator there also started arbitrarily deleting threads left and right. Things seem to be going pretty well here. Keep up the good work. The tone is generally pretty civilized... Your servant, Jagadananda Das.

I also vote to keep the editing feature. I hate to see spelling mistakes or HTML code errors in my own posts. Jagat

It is said that he was a disciple of Siddhanta Saraswati, but I believe that he considered his "official" initiating guru to have been Gauranga Das Babaji, a disciple of Ram Das Babaji and grand-disciple of Radha Raman Charan Dasji.

<h3>Gopinath Gaudiya Math</h3> Chakra Tirtha, Puri Orissa. Bhakti Bibudh Bodhayan writes: "One day, I was cleaning Srila Guru Maharaj’s Bhajan Kutir in Mayapur when he suddenly expressed his desire to spend the rest of his life in Puri and to give up his body there. So in 1992, after searching for a long time all over the town, we purchased a small piece of land according to our means. But in the end, we were not able to arrange a proper place for him to stay on a permanent basis. Each year Srila Guru Maharaj would come to attend the Rathayatra festival and spend only a few days. We were still trying to arrange a suitable accommodation for him. "In 1997, Srila Guru Maharaj came to Vrindavan and had a realization about Mahaprabhu’s instruction to Srila Jagadananda Pandit that vrindavane jaiyo na rahio cira kal, which means, “Go to Vrindavan, but don’t stay there permanently.” "I was there at the time. Guru Maharaj told me that he did not want to disregard Mahaprabhu’s instruction. Again he said, “So arrange my place at Puri, I want to spend the rest of my life time there following Gadadhar Pandit’s Kshetra sannyas.” "As a unworthy disciple, I arranged a room for him in Puri and then accompanied him there from Vrindavan on May 1, 1997. From 1997 until entering the nitya lila, he was constantly experiencing Sriman Mahaprabhu's different Gambhira pastimes. I would see him talking at night with Lord Jagannath and Mahaprabhu. Sometime I would interrupt him in the middle of his conversations with Lord Jagannath. He would refuse to tell me to whom he was talking, but I understood clearly that he was speaking to Lord Jagannath. "Gradually, Guru Maharaj installed a deity under an asbestos-roofed shed. He felt unhappy because he was staying on the second floor of a nice building and lying down on a soft bed, while Lord Jagannath was living in austere quarters. He prayed to all of us that we prepare a nice temple for Lord Jagannath and Sri Radha Madan Mohan. Now my dearmost Godbrothers, Sripad Ram Das Prabhu, Sripad Govardhan Prabhu and Sudarshan Prabhus, are going fulfill his desire, to make a nice temple on the beach. It is under construction now. We hope that it will be open in time for his upcoming Vyasa Puja festival." <h3>Sri Chaitanya Ashram</h3> This temple was founded by Bhakti Kumud Santa Maharaj. It is located south of Purushottam Math and a little north of the Chaitanya Saraswata Math on Gaurbat Sahi. <h3>Sri Chaitanya Saraswata Math </h3> Bidhava Ashram Road, Gaur Batsahi Puri, Orissa, India Pin 752001 Phone: (06752) 23413 Sri Chaitanya Saraswata Math is located near the beach a couple of kilometers west of Haridas Thakur's samadhi. It has a nice three story guest house and a beautiful temple which is the home of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai. An unusual thing about the deities here is that Nitai is holding a danda (stick, not like a sannyas danda). The deities and the temple were established by Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaja the disciple of BR Sridhar Maharaja and current acharya of the Chaitanya Saraswata Math on the day of Odhan Sasthi. They have a nice festival every year on this day and invite devotees from many different maths all over Puri. <h3>Chaitanya Chandra Math</h3> Itota, Puri, Orissa, Pin 752002 Ph. 06752-24455 This math stands next door to the Gundicha Temple. It is the headquarters of the Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mission founded by Srimad Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaj. The math is in the Ai Tota gardens, where Mahaprabhu Sri Chaitanya showed His mercy to King Prataparudra. During the Rathayatra, Sri Chaitanya came here reciting verses from the Bhagavatam that expressed Sri Radha's longing for Sri Krishna. In the ardor of His love, He almost fell down and the king came forth to hold Him up. Though the Lord was pleased with Prataparudra for his humble service to Lord Jagannath as a sweeper, He feigned anger to warn his followers against coming in close touch with wordly-minded people. Again, with all humility, the king approached Mahaprabhu reciting the Gopi-gita from Srimad Bhagavatam. This time he received the Lord's blessings through a warm embrace. The place where the Lord embraced Maharaj Prataparudra is where the Sri Chaitanya Chandra Ashram stands. B. V. Puri Maharaj appeared 1913 in the village Fulta, five kilometers from Berhampur in Orissa’s Ganjam district He came from a family of Ramanuja Vaishnavas, but was initiated by Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami in 1936 on Balaram’s appearance day. He took sannyas from H. H. Bhakti Sarvasva Giri Maharaj in 1966 and started the Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mission in Kakinada, A.P., in the same year. The Chaitanya Chandra Gaudiya Math was opened in 1983. The international Krishna Chaitanya Mission has more than twenty branch maths in Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Europe. This math has a nice temple with beautiful Radha Krishna deities and a large guest house. This temple is famous for giving prasadam to large numbers of visiting devotees. <h3>Sri Nilachala Gaudiya Math</h3> This math is on Gaurbat Sahi in Swarga Dwar, near Haridas Thakura’s samadhi by the sea (Telephone. 06752-23074). It is part of the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti. In Narayan Maharaj’s biography of Bhakti Prajnan Keshav Maharaja, it says that while visiting Puri in 1948, Keshava Maharaj decided to establish a temple in Puri, but was not able to carry out the project himself at that time. His wishes were carried out by his disciples, Tridandi Swamis Bhaktivedanta Vamana Goswami Maharaj and Bhaktivedanta Narayan Goswami Maharaja, who opened the math on Rasa Purnima, at the end of Karttik in 1978. Currently in charge of the Math is Srila Bhaktivedanta Acharya Maharaja who is assisted by Sachidananda Brahmachari. Deities are Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu and Sri Sri Radha-Vinoda Bihariji. The temple welcomes devotees from all over the world, especially during Snana Purnima, Rathayatra and other festivals. In the biography that Narayan Maharaja wrote about Bhakti Prajnan Kesava Maharaja he says that while he was visiting Puri in 1948 Bhakti Prajnan Kesava Maharaja decided to establish a temple in Puri, but was not able to carry out the project himself. <h3>Bhaktivedanta Ashram</h3> Sipasirubuli, Puri Tel. (06752) 24594 H. H. Gaur Govinda Maharaj helped to arrange for this 40-acre property to be purchased for Iskcon. It sat for a long time with nothing going on under the lack of supervision of the local GBC (Jayapataka Maharaja). Then the devotees got the idea to make it into a kind of grhastha retirement community. They made a time share scheme and sold plots. A number of devotees purchased into it, most notably Vaiyasaki, Dhruva Maharaja and Yadubar Prabhus. Unfortunately, the property was mismanaged. The property sat for a long time with only a couple of devotees staying there. Jayapataka Maharaja has recently installed Gaura Nitai Deities there in a small temple and has sent three or four of his Bengali brahmacharis to take care of things. It is located on the beach a few miles south of town. <h3>Gaudiya Saraswata Ashram</h3> This is the name of the amazing temple located north of Haridas Thakur's samadhi on Satasan Road. This temple, which was founded by Srila Saraswati Thakur's disciple Srirupa Siddhanti Maharaja, is very popular. It has beautiful diaromas covering virtually every inch of the temple, grounds and inside of the boundary wall. The deity worship is very nice here. The temple has nice Radha Krishna deities, many Salagram silas and a Shiva linga on an altar behind Radha Krishna. Siddhanti Maharaja wrote commentaries on several Upanishads which are sold here at the temple. This temple also has nice discourses on the Bhagavat that are attended by many pilgrims. <h3>Purushottam Gaudiya Math</h3> The "Purushottam Gaudiya Math" was founded by Bhakti Vilas Tirtha Maharaj. It is just next to Haridas Thakur's samadhi (to the north). This temple has a large guest house and deities of Sri Sri Radha Vinode Bihari. <font color=#999999><small> [This message has been edited by Jagat (edited 06-26-2001).]

<h3>Bhakti Kuti (Iskcon)</h3> Next to the Satasan Math near the Swarga Dwar is Bhakti Kuti, where Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur lived on and off from 1900-1910, after retiring from government service. On the outside wall is a marble plaque with the following verse written by Bhaktivinoda Thakur himself: <center>gaura-prabhoH prema-vilAsa-bhUmau niSkincano bhakti-vinoda-nAmA ko’pi sthito bhakti-kuTIra-koSThe smRtvAnizaM nAma-guNaM murAreH</center> <blockquote>In order to remember the names and qualities of Krishna Murari, he who is known as Bhaktivinoda has given up everything to come here to the land of Lord Gauranga’s pastimes, taking shelter of a room in this cottage of devotion (Bhakti Kuti).</blockquote> In 1903, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati regularly read and give discourses on Chaitanya Charitamrita here in the presence of the Thakur. The famous Radha Raman Charan Das Babaji also came to visit Bhaktivinoda Thakur during this time and they discussed devotional doctrines together. Another famous Vaishnava who visited Bhaktivinoda Thakur at Bhakti Kuti was the Raja of Cossim Bazaar, Manindra Chandra Nandi, who lived in a tent on the seashore and took instruction in devotional service from the Thakur. Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur established the Purushottam Gaudiya Math in the Bhakti Kuti in 1922 and devotees stayed here until the construction of the new temple in 1931. However, in the course of time, the Orissan government came into possession of Bhaktivinoda Thakur's house and property. They were put up for auction in 199x and came into the hands of the disciples of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaj led by Jayapataka Swami. It is now a branch math of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Unfortunately, the original building constructed by Bhaktivinoda Thakur in 1902 was in such bad shape that it had to be razed and a new building constructed in its place. A beautiful temple, luxury guesthouse and prasad restaurant have been built on the property. Any more informaton about Iskcon's involvement or the period between 1931 and 1992 would be much appreciated.

<h3>Sri Purushottam Math</h3> Saraswati Thakur first established the Sri Purushottam Math at Bhakti Kuti on June 9, 1922, installing a deity of Gauranga Mahaprabhu. He instituted an annual memorial festival at the Math in honor of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur and Srila Gadadhar Pandit Goswami, whose residence at Tota Gopinath is just next door. On July 17, 1931, he set the foundations for the new temple of the Purushottam Math on land that had been donated by the Maharaj of Mayurbhanj. The Sri Purushottam Math is currently a branch of the Gaudiya Mission, whose headquarters are at the Bagh Bazaar Gaudiya Math in Calcutta. Service to the deities is being carried out in an effulgent manner, and a new guest house was recently built. At present there are nine buildings which include, the temple proper, the kirtan mandap, two guest houses, a long building that includes an office and the bhajan kutirs of Sripad Audulomi Maharaja and Sripad Bhakti Prasad Puri Maharaja (Ananta Vasudeva Prabhu), a kitchen, a small goshala, a building where most of the Math residents stay and, on top of a hill, the somewhat dilapidated bhajan kutir of Srila Saraswati Thakur himself. The devotees here sing many nice bhajans for several hours each morning. As part of their morning sadhana they daily circumambulate Srila Saraswati Thakur's bhajan kutir while singing, "Jaya Radha Jaya Krishna Jaya Vrindavan..." Things have recently been picking up for this important temple. More funds have come from donors and they have rebuilt and expanded the guesthouse facility. They also plan on re-modeling the bhajan kutir of Srila Bhakti Prasad Puri Maharaja and making it very nice. I have heard that originally the Math owned a great deal of property but the government took over some of it and have built the present large water tower which stands just due south of the Math. <h3>Srila Prabhupada in Purushottam Dhama in 1936</h3> (from Gaudiya magazine, 14.35, 541-545) At 2 o’clock in the afternoon of Sunday, March 29, 1936, Srila Prabhupada left Cuttack for Puri. He was accompanied by Vasudeva Prabhu, Krishna Kanti Bhakti Kusum, Paramananda Vidyaratna, Sajjanananda Brahmachari, Sundarananda Vidyavinoda and others. At about 5.30 in the afternoon, Srila Prabhupada arrived at the Puri station where the aged Radha Govinda Das Babaji Maharaj, Tridandi Swami Bhakti Prasun Bodhayan Maharaj, Gadadhar Das Adhikari Bhakti Suhrit, Udaya Babu and many other devotees from the Puri area greeted and garlanded him. The abbot of Puri’s Uttara Parshwa Math, the venerable Govinda Ramanuja Dasji, sent his new motor car to the station, bedecked with flower garlands, as a way of honoring the glorious sun of the Gaudiya Vaishnava world. This is just one of many instances where the abbot has shown his respect for Srila Prabhupada. Hanuman Khuntia, a worthy descendant of Mahaprabhu’s associate Kanai Khuntia, was among the first to greet Srila Prabhupada once he had arrived at the Purushottam Gaudiya Math. Srila Prabhupada was pleased with Sri Khuntia for his deep faith, the great friendship he has shown the residents of the Math, and for the help he has given to further the preaching of Bhaktivinoda Thakur’s gospel. Srila Prabhupada talked with Khuntia Mahashay for some time, telling him about his various preaching activities and particularly about the meeting he had had in Cuttack with the Diwan (chief minister) of the Cuttack princely state. The Diwan had been impressed by the transcendental diorama exhibition held in Calcutta, and asked that Srila Prabhupada organize one of the sort for the spiritual education of the people of Cuttack, for such things had never been seen there before. Hanuman Khuntia was excited by the idea of holding such an exhibit in Puri as well. The purpose of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival at the Purushottam Math was to initiate construction of a temple for Srimati Radharani on the Chatak Parvat. At present, three buildings adorn the Math grounds creating a beautiful sight on the beach: Chatak Kutir, Bodhayan Kutir, and the temple dedicated to the spiritual masters in the disciplic succession, Gaura-Gadadhara, and Vinoda Madhava. One can get a good view of the ocean from everywhere in Purushottam Gaudiya Math because of its high placement on the dunes. Of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas’ three beloved deities, Madan Mohan, who presides over sambandha-jnana, is already present in Puri as Jagannath Deva. Similarly, Gopinath, who presides over the prayojana-tattva, is present at Tota Gopinath, Gadadhar Pandit’s place of residence just nearby. Now our worshipable Srila Prabhupada has been encouraging his disciples to establish a temple to Radha Govinda, the presiding deities of the abhidheya-tattva. This is especially important to Srila Prabhupada, the stalwart representative of Rupa Goswami in our time, because Govinda was Sri Rupa’s own personal chosen deity. In order to insure that the work starts very soon, Prabhupada came accompanied by his disciples Amritananda Sevavilasa, Paramananda Vidyaratna, and other disciples experienced in construction. At present, there is one other construction project already going on at the Math, a residence called Sadhu Nivasa, facing the Bodhayan Kutir. Srila Prabhupada has created several groups of devotees to preach the message of Bhaktivinoda Thakur by singing his songs in the villages of Orissa. As a result, whenever news of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival spread through these villages, many devotees, respectable citizens and important people come to Cuttack and then Puri for his darshan. Srila Prabhupada has therefore ordered that a guest house and kirtan hall be constructed in both places. The devotees have made a garden in front of the Math where various fruits and vegetables, as well as Tulasi Devi, are grown for the service of the deities and the devotees. Yadu Gopal Adhikari (Yadumani Babu) works tirelessly in the garden to keep everything growing. Srila Prabhupada named the garden "Ananda Bag," because it gives all devotees pleasure), or "Yadumani Bag," because it brings pleasure to the Lord of the Yadu dynasty, Sri Krishna. One elderly monk, Sri Radha Govinda Das Babaji Maharaj, has been preaching the Maha Mantra beloved of Gaura-Nitai and served constantly by Hari Das Thakur. Babaji Mahasaya is a senior Vaishnava and sincere servant of Srila Prabhupada. He is particularly well-versed in the Bhagavatam and Vaishnava philosophy. Babaji Maharaj distributes prasadi sweet rice in the residential neighborhoods of Puri and gets even the little boys and girls to sing the sixteen names and thirty-two syllables of the Maha Mantra. There is little doubt that everyone who hears the nectarean chanting from his lips will be purged of the poison of all the various recently-fabricated rhyming verses that are being sung throughout Orissa instead of the Maha Mantra. Tridandi Swami Bhakti Prasun Bodhayan Maharaj, Sripada Gadadhar Das Adhikari, Phenapananda Brahmachari and other devotees have also taken Srila Prabhupada’s orders seriously and are attempting to preach Hari katha from door to door in Puri. On March 29th and 31st, Swamiji spoke on Krishna lila with a slide show in the home of Ray Bahadur Girish Chandra Das in Chakra Tirtha. On April 1, he did the same in the house of Satya Das Goswami and on April 2, in the house of the zamindar Hemendra Nath Ray Chaudhuri. In the evening, Srila Prabhupada listened to his disciples sing the songs of Narottama Das Thakur and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur in the Chatak Kutir. Srila Prabhupada created sankirtan associations as a preliminary step to preaching the philosophy of devotion through these songs. He himself especially relished hearing Ananta Vasudeva Brahmachari sing songs like amala harinAma amiya vilAsA from GitAvali and <center>rAdhA bhajane jadi mati nAhi bhelA kRSNa-bhajana tava akAraN gelA</center> <blockquote>“If you have no appreciation for worshiping Radharani, then you have frittered away your chance to worship Krishna.” (Gitavali, Radhashtaka, 8)</blockquote> On the morning of April 1, the topic of Raghunath Das Babaji of Hati Akhra, a rnounced Vaishnava who lived at the time of Bhaktivinoda Thakur, came up. At the time that Bhaktivinoda Thakur started preaching in Puri, this Raghunath Das opposed his publicly giving discourse on the Bhagavatam since he had not been initiated. Raghunath Das was subsequently attacked by fever and the blessed by a dream, in which Lord Jagannath appeared and told him that he would be cured by medicine given him by Bhaktivinoda Thakur. Raghunath Das sent a message to the Thakur, who, in the true Vaishnava spirit, came humbly and respectfully to visit him. On his arrival, Raghunath Das said, “You have come. I know that most magistrates (häkim) would normally never come to see a person like me because they think, hä kim? (“Who on earth is he?”). In other words, “I am really something great and this other person is a nobody.” Raghunath Das then spoke with Bhaktivinoda Thakur for some time and his previous opinion of him completely changed. Raghunath Das’ fever dissipated soon thereafter and from then on he held Bhaktivinoda Thakur in great esteem for the rest of his days. Of course, the sight of a great devotee can cure us of our material disease and give us pure love for Krishna, so this is only a small indication of Bhaktivinoda Thakur's glory. It is said that this Raghunath Das was formerly a Naga sannyasi who later came into contact with Bhagavan Das Babaji of Kalna, by whose grace he was converted to Gaudiya Vaishnavism. On April 2, Ray Bahadur Girish Chandra Das came to the Purushottam Math to see Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada told him about the five kinds of eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord Krishna. If we use Hari kirtan or transcendental sound in any way to promote our mundane relationships with other human beings or any kind of other material relationships, then inauspiciousness is the result. In the course of his talk, Srila Prabhupada discussed the difference between the Chaitanya Bhagavata and the Chaitanya Charitamrita in their accounts of Mahaprabhu’s life. In the Chaitanya Mangala and Chaitanya Bhagavata, the emphasis is on Mahaprabhu’s supreme divinity and transcendence, while in the Chaitanya Charitamrita, Mahaprabhu’s true personality and His personal message for humanity are described in a most fascinating way. The limits of transcendence for those who are speculating on the basis of their mundane sense perception is the undifferentiated absolute. But in the divine transcendence there is a superhuman charm that leads the individual to eternally serve the supreme object of service. Srila Prabhupada continued to discuss how the Supreme Person is complete (pUrNa), more complete (pUrNatara) and most complete (pUrNatama). He is complete as Maha Vishnu or Narayan, in which form he displays 60 godly qualities. In the more complete form known as the svayaM prakAza, he has 62 such qualities. The most complete form is called svayaM rUpa, and there he has 64 transcendental qualities. Srila Prabhupada used mathematics and astrological calculations to explain the significance of the numbers 60 and 64 in relation to completeness. After coming to Purushottam, Srila Prabhupada glorified Gadadhar Pandit Goswami for several days. This is appropriate as he is non-different from Gadadhar. Srila Prabhupada said, “We are surrendered to Gadadhar Pandit. Srila Pandit Goswami used to speak on the Bhagavatam to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his associates on the banks of the Narendra Sarovar. Therefore, we should soon soon establish the Bhagavata Asan or Bhagavata Khanda on the part of the Purushottam Gaudiya Math property that borders the Tota Gopinath temple. There, the discussion and culture of the Srimad Bhagavatam will go on constantly. In the morning of April 3, Srila Prabhupada’s scholar disciple, Gaura Das Brahmachari came from Kashi Dhama, and Prof. Nishi Kanta Sanyal, M.A., came from Cuttack to visit their spiritual master. As soon as Srila Prabhupada saw them, he said, “Both of you are manifestations of Gadadhar Pandit, so you should always remain here in Puri and discuss the Bhagavatam.” Srila Prabhupada said that since Mahaprabhu and His associates disappeared from this world, two greatly destructive ideas about the Lord have arisen in Orissa. One is that the preaching of devotion to Lord Vishnu resulted in the weakening of the Orissan empire. The second is the ignorant attempt of a certain Pandit to minimize the supremacy of Srimati Radharani’s sweet loving service in favor of the majestic type of devotion. Prabhupada said that just as there is a stillness after a storm, so after this storm of false ideas, there will once again be peace when the ideas of divine love taught by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu spread. The statement utkale puruSottamAt means that Mahaprabhu’s message of divine love will spread well beyond Orissa’s borders, but that the whole world will take an interest in the doctrine of the Purushottam that is held in Orissa. It means that the teachings of Ramananda, in which the sweetness of Radharani’s service to the Lila Purushottam is supreme above all other spiritual achievements, will be preached throughout the world. Just as devotees came to Nilachala from all over to take shelter of Mahaprabhu’s lotus feet and in order to preach his message, so too, with the coming of Mahaprabhu’s dear associate, Srila Prabhupada, devotees came from Bengal, Assam, Orissa, from the West and from the South just to hear Mahaprabhu’s message. Nishi Kanta Sanyal and Pandit Gauri Das Brahmachari were not the only ones to arrive on April 3. At midday, Tirupati’s Subregistrar Pantulugaru Y. Jagannathan, Bhakti Tilaka, B.A., arrived at his acharya’s lotus feet. Bhakti Tilak Mahashay is a highly educated Brahmin from Andhra. He has translated Caitanya Sikshamrita into Telegu and all the songs of Çaraëägati into Telegu verse. He is a good speaker and writer in both English and Telegu. Besides him, many other devotees came from Orissa, Bengal and western India in order to participate in the 100-day kirtan festival. We have heard that the two German devotees will also be coming from Mayapur. <h3>Srila Prabhupada's last visit to Puri</h3> About two months before entering his eternal abode, Srila Prabhupada went to Puri. He stayed there at his bhajan kutir near the beach. To all those who came to see him, he gave the warning: “Get busy and worship the Lord undeviatingly. Not much time is left.” His disciples heard him constantly repeat the verses of Rupa Goswami’s first Govardhanäñöakam and those of Raghunatha Das’s Govardhana-väsa-prärthanä-daçakam. Mahaprabhu Himself used to see Govardhan in the sand dunes by the ocean, and the Yamuna River in the blue waters of the ocean itself. For Him, the gardens in Puri were Vrindavan itself. Overwhelmed with the loving mood of Radha, Gaurasundara was day and night absorbed in the separation from Krishna, uttering the words: <center>kAhAn mora prANanAtha muralI-vadana kAhAn karon kAhAn pAn vrajendra-nandana kAhAre kahiba kebA jAne mora duHkha vrajendra-nandana binu phATe mora buka</center> <blockquote>“Where is the Lord of my life, Krishna, the flute player? What can I do to find him? Where is the son of Maharaja Nanda? To whom can I speak to of my distress? Who would understand me? Without the son of Nanda Maharaja, my heart splits in two” (CC 2.2.15-16).</blockquote> With tears washing over his face, Srila Prabhupada would also recite these verses from the Chaitanya Charitamrita that revealed Mahaprabhu’s heartfelt emotions. In this way he would remain absorbed in Krishna consciousness. Srila Prabhupada remained in his cottage amongst the Puri sand dunes for the appearance day of Madhvacharya, Govardhan Puja, and the disappearance day of Srila Gaura Kishor Das Babaji. He announced that the refrains from the two añöakas mentioned above were special mantras for worshiping Govardhan Hill: <center>pratyAzAM me tvaM kuru govardhana pUrNAm </center> “O Govardhana, fulfill every one of my wishes!” <center>nija-nikaTa-nivAsaM dehi govardhana tvam </center> “O Govardhana, please give me residence somewhere near to you!” Srila Prabhupada left Puri for the last time on December 7, 1936, twenty-four days before his disappearance. [This message has been edited by Jagat (edited 06-08-2001).]

I forgot to add: Bhakti Promode Puri Maharaj wrote in 1983, after the temple building was completed: <blockquote>On March 24, 1980, the cornerstone for a new temple was laid in the house in Jagannath Puri where Srila Prabhupada was born. While the foundations were being dug, the devotees were overjoyed at seeing the pure earth with the fragrance of sandalwood incense. Just as Prabhupada was self-manifest, his birthplace also has the same spiritual quality. Though many obstacles had to be overcome in order to make this temple a possibility, Prabhupada’s dear disciple Srimad Bhakti Dayita Madhava Goswami Maharaja, out of his compassion for the devotees, agreed to accept the service and undertook the efforts to restore the holy site. Now Sriman Mahaprabhu and Jagannath Deva, Himself in another form, have manifested a beautiful skyscraping temple over the site of Their dear devotee’s appearance. Through their blessings and the inspiration given by Srila Prabhupada himself, a powerful desire to do this work manifested in the heart of Prabhupada’s intimate associate, Srila Madhava Goswami Maharaja. He had to overcome numerous difficulties to achieve this work, but now deities have been consecrated and their service is being carried out in this temple. He had a two-story building constructed to house the devotees before he himself went to join his spiritual master in the eternal abode. His disciples sought to fulfill his desires and the Supreme Lord also arranged for the beautiful temple to be built where He and His manifest representative, Srila Prabhupad, could be worshiped. This took place on February 5, 1982, on the holy advent anniversary of Srila Prabhupada.</blockquote> Chaitanya Vani, 22.1 (Jan. 1983). Also in Of Love and Separation (Mandala Media, 2001), p. 8.